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Exodus 32:15–24
“As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain” (Ex. 32:19).
Having heard that the Israelites were worshiping the golden calf, Moses descended the mountain to correct the people. Today’s passage tells us of this descent and Moses’ initial response to Israel’s sin.
Exodus 32:15–16 reminds us that Moses brought with him the two tablets on which God Himself had written the Ten Commandments. These tablets were inscribed on front and back, a common practice in the ancient world. And as one commentator notes, having the entire surface covered by words taught an important lesson. No space was left for adding to the commandments, giving a visible indication that no one can rightly add to God’s law (see Deut. 4:2).
Joshua, who had gone up Mount Sinai part of the way with Moses (Ex. 24:13), met Moses as the prophet made his descent, reporting that there was a “noise of war in the camp” of Israel (Ex. 32:17). The sound of the people’s frenzied worship was so loud that Joshua could hear it, but he mistook the din for war cries. Knowing better, Moses said that it was actually the sound of singing—singing praises unto the idol that had been made to represent Yahweh (Ex. 32:18). Once Moses arrived at the camp and saw the idolatry with his own eyes, he threw the tablets to the ground, breaking them (Ex. 32:19). This was not a spontaneous response to the sins of the Israelites but rather a prophetic sign act. Throughout the Prophetic Books of the Old Testament, we find prophets engaging in actions that were pictures of the message that they were delivering (see, e.g., Jer. 27). Moses’ breaking of the tablets, the covenant document, depicted the fact that Israel had broken its covenant with the Lord, and it was also a warning of the destruction that would fall on those who remained covenant breakers. In addition to breaking the tablets, Moses ground the golden calf into dust and mixed it with the drinking water of the Israelites (Ex. 32:20). Drinking the water would cause the remnants of the idol to pass through the digestive systems of the people and be excreted as human waste. This would thoroughly defile the idol’s materials and make them unfit for any further use in worship. Although the people bore responsibility for their idolatry, Moses turned to Aaron and demanded to know how they had convinced him, one who should have known better, to violate God’s law (Ex. 32:21). As sinners are wont to do, Aaron did not take ownership of his sin but spoke as if the idol had just formed itself (Ex. 32:22–24).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Although God had relented from destroying the entire nation of Israel (Ex. 32:14), today’s passage indicates that the people’s sin had consequences. They had to drink the bitter water filled with the particles of the destroyed golden calf. Similarly, the Lord promises not to destroy His people, but our sin can still have consequences on this side of glory. One good reason to refrain from sin is so that we do not have to suffer the harmful effects of transgression that occur in this world.
for further study
- Deuteronomy 9:13–21
- 2 Samuel 11:1–12:23
- Mark 14:66–72
- 1 Corinthians 11:27–32